


Tsuki to Taiyo

by katyabaryzh



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baihu Genji, Kitsune Zenyatta, M/M, Mentions of Hanzo, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Trans Male Character, Trans Tekhartha Zenyatta, kinda fantasy/scifi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-08 02:09:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14094729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katyabaryzh/pseuds/katyabaryzh
Summary: A young kitsune monk named Zenyatta seeks out Baihu, the legendary white tiger, to help free his brother who has been enslaved to the humans. Things don't quite go his way. He hadn't planned to meet the God this way.





	1. Meeting

The rain beat down heavily in the rainforest. A travelling monk attempted to traverse the hazardous forest in his robes and heavy cloak. The fur on his fox-like feet had become caked and matted with mud and red clay as he trudged on through the seemingly endless rainforest. He slipped for the umpteenth time and ended up falling into a puddle. His eyes threatened to close, exhaustion finally taking its toll. 

His pack had been taken 3 days ago at gunpoint. His provisions, which should have lasted him a week, were gone just like that. He’d had to rely on the scarce food supply of the rainforest. 

This place had seen so much war and strife, the very earth scarred from years of chaotic destruction. Waterproof flamethrowers; airstrikes, the vengeful souls of men who died slow, agonizing deaths as they were left behind to die in the chaos of war. It would never be the same. Its curse seemed to have taken another victim as the monk lay motionless, his breathing slowing down. The last thing he saw before he allowed the Iris to take him was a flash of white and teal.

The monk woke in the cracked ruins of an abandoned building. A temple, he ventured to guess as he recognized what seemed to be an altar of sorts. It was difficult to see anything in the scant light. The rain still pounded outside, the occasional drip echoing throughout the cavernous interior. He stood, allowing the heavy fur pelts that had covered him to slide off. His feet made hardly any sound, save for the claws of his feet occasionally scratching the ground. 

The walls were made of the same red clay that had stuck to his legs, interspersed with thick vines of ivy that grew out of the cracks and held the crumbling walls together. 

The monk dragged his long clawed fingers along the wall as he tentatively explored his surroundings. Someone or something saved him. Had bathed, clothed, and fed him. The monk could not recall any of it. He must have been really out of it. How long had he been here? How long had he slept? 

The monk’s ears perked up and swivel about; recognizing the sound of a deep, rumbling growl, like that of a big cat. He stands still, turning his head this way and that way as his ears swiveled, hoping to pinpoint where the owner of such a fearsome growl. A flash of white and teal, the monk is laying on his back, staring up at the impassive face of a white tiger. He gasps. 

"Baihu?" The tiger tilts its head, then steps back. He takes the form of a human man, scars littering his face. 

"You know me?" The white tiger asks, surprise evident in the quizzical arch of his eyebrow. The monk nods, bowing before him. He missed the embarrassed look on the God’s face. 

"I am called Tekhartha Zenyatta. A Shambali monk who worships the Iris. I come seeking your aid urgently." The man huffed. 

"Stand. Please do not grovel. What ails you?" Zenyatta stood, boldly making eye contact with Baihu. 

"The humans have enslaved my brother. They kidnapped him from our temple in the mountains. They found his star ball. They’re going to work him to death like they did our parents." His voice had risen, the orbs that laid dormant around his neck now spun in dizzying speeds, a sickly violet aura permeated the area around him. It reached out, vicious whispers clinging to the god like a miasma of negative energy. 

"What… is this?" He asked. He was extremely uncomfortable with the constant negative waves of energy that were bombarding him. You were never my equal. It was my duty. He shook his head, trying to scatter his thoughts. Zenyatta seemed to finally understand and took a deep breath, the orbs returning to their normal bronze color, laying dormant around his neck.

"Forgive me. I let my emotions get the best of me. My brother is the only family I have left." Baihu nodded, understanding just what he meant. He shuddered, his own brother was not a glowing example of what family should be, but he wanted to forgive him. He was loathe to admit it out loud, but he missed his brother greatly. The tiger took a deep breath and nodded.

"I’ll do it." The young monk’s eyes lit up, they were like sweet pools of honeyed whiskey. It didn’t hurt that his companion was easy on the eyes. He smirked. "On one condition." Zenyatta’s smile faltered, his eyes narrowed slightly. His smile was sweet, but his pout was even sweeter. Baihu’s grin grew. 

"My temple could use some TLC. Perhaps you could help me tidy up. I know Kitsune can be tricksters. I want to spend a few days getting to know and trust you." The monk looked like he was about to object, so the tiger spoke quickly. "Besides, you still need a few days to recover. The situation is not that dire, is it?" The fox looked embarrassed, eyes and ears going downcast. He shook his head eventually. Baihu cupped his chin, eyes softening at the worried fox’s sad eyes. 

"You will need to be well rested. It has only been 3 days since I found you. You were weak." Zenyatta bowed again, and the tiger went rigid. 

"Thank you Lord Baihu." He held up a clawed hand. "Please. Just call me Genji. It is my preferred name." The monk rose again, a shy smile on his face. "Thank you Genji." The man blushed. His name sounded so… good coming from his mouth. This pious being. He had unknowingly begun purring, long tail looping around Zenyatta’s waist as he lead him back to the area he had slept the previous nights. 

"Rest little fox. We will get started in the morning." Zenyatta laid back down, pulling the furs back up over his shoulders. He rested easy this time, knowing he had succeeded in his journey. Help was on the way. He hoped his brother could hold on just a little longer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji and Zenyatta fix up the old temple!

Zenyatta woke up to the sun shining in his face. He shut his eyes tighter and brought the fur pelt over his head. Oh. This wasn’t his room in the monastery, he realized with a pang in his heart. A heavy weight settled over his body. Rumbling. Purring? He tossed the pelt off to glance down at a very content white tiger. 

“Good morning Genji.” He yawned, voice still thick with sleep. The tiger shifted into his human form. He was now face-to-face with the sleepy monk. Zenyatta, after a while, became bashful. Had he no sense of personal space? The monk could feel his face heating up. Genji laughed heartily and sat off to the side of him. 

“Do you eat meat, little monk?” Zenyatta shook his head and the tiger raised an eyebrow. “Religious reasons?” He asked. To his surprise, the fox shook his head again. 

“It doesn’t sit well with me,” He began, his hands clasped in his lap. “I used to enjoy it.” Genji hummed contemplatively for a while, then stood up. 

“I’ll fetch you some food. I’m sure I foraged some fruit recently…” He mumbled to himself before shifting back into a tiger and stalking away. Might as well attempt a morning routine, the monk mused to himself. 

Not far from his bed, there was a dip in the floor. Instead of hard ground, it was loamy soil. Rainwater had collected in one massive pool, and he knelt down to take stock of his appearance. A little pale. Perhaps he was coming down with a cold? Zenyatta was suddenly aware of how dry his mouth felt. His tongue was heavy and swollen, occasionally sticking to the roof of his mouth. This water was filthy, unfortunately. Dirt, leaves, clay, and who knew what else floated around in its murky depths. Must be swimming with bacteria. He’d had a water treatment kit and water bottles in his pack. Just his luck. There must be a river nearby. That was a safer bet than stagnant rainwater. 

He made his way to the furthest end of the temple where light spilled out around the edges of an intricately carved door. It was designed to slide along grooves in the floor, but it was extremely heavy, and the track was overgrown with weeds and ivy. It took all Zenyatta’s strength just to budge the door even a quarter of the way open. He huffed, trying to catch his breath. The door must not be used often. There was a large hole in the roof that he assumed Genji used as both an entrance and exit. He sighed. The door seemed impassable for now. A hand laid across his shoulder and startled him out of his thoughts.

“Leaving so soon?” Genji teased. The fox opened his mouth to say something; probably to reprimand him, but the tiger laughed loudly before he could get a single word out. “I’m teasing you. Come, I found some food I foraged before the typhoon.” He lead Zenyatta back to his bedroll where a pile of fresh melon and sweet corn sat in a narrow banana leaf.

“Forgive me. This was all I had. Meat is very easy to get. We’re very close to the ocean, so I hardly need to forage for my meals.” It wasn’t like he regularly had vegetarian guests either. He didn’t regularly have guests period. 

Zenyatta bit into the sweet flesh of the melon, relishing in the sweet sticky juices that quenched his thirst. He swallowed the bite of food in his mouth, then began licking the stray drops of juice that dribbled down his fingers and arm. Genji pointedly looked away. The monk cleared his throat after a while.

“There is no need to apologize. Thank you for this bountiful meal.” He was genuine. In fact, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to finish 2 melons and 4 ears of corn.

“We have some cleaning up to do.” Genji said after a pregnant pause. Zenyatta continued to eat but focused on the tiger as he spoke. “There’s a giant hole in the ceiling,” He nodded emphatically, eyes wide as if he were hearing this information for the first time. His smile said otherwise. What a smartass. Genji rolled his eyes. “The walls could use a touch-up. There’s plenty of clay outside for that. I can fix the roof. I think that’s all we’ll be able to get done today.” Zenyatta set aside his empty melon rinds and picked up an ear of corn. His eyes flicked up to Genji’s.

“Do you have a clean water supply?” He asked before taking a bite of corn. It was sweeter and juicier than any corn he’d had before. The kernels were pale, some of them white. Then it dawned on him. They were in the rainforest… Melons and sweet corn grew further inland near Sapporo. Zenyatta glanced at the food, then at Genji, who had noticed his suspicious looks and now nervously rocked back and forth on his knees. The very image of guilt. 

“You get everything inland, don’t you?” They simultaneously grinned, then burst into laughter. “So,” The monk started after the giggles had subsided. “Did you take this food from a farm?” The tiger nodded bashfully. “You forgot to remove the sticker.” He added as way of explanation. The monk chuckled again. “I was wondering how you got yubari king melons in a rainforest.” The two erupted into laughter once more. Zenyatta finished his breakfast, cleaned his face as best he could without the aid of clean water, and faced Genji again. 

“We need to fix that door too.” The tiger looked confused for a moment before recognition finally flashed across his face. “That hole has been there so long. I kind of forgot there was a door.” He suddenly paused, body tense. The fox had tensed too, ears swiveling in different directions as he looked and listened. All Zenyatta could hear was the quiet plip plip plip of the rainwater splashing into the pond. The tiger shook his head. “It was nothing. Probably my imagination.” He stood up, grunting as his legs and knees and back popped. “I’ll go fetch the supplies you’ll need, then we’ll work on the door together.” He was off again, stalking back into the shadows he seemed to magically meld into. It was like he was made of shadows, the way he seemed to seamlessly blend into the darkness. Especially considering the bright colors of his fur. 

Genji came back with brightly colored buckets. Pink, green, and blue. The pink bucket held trowels and smoothing tools, the handle of a machete stuck out of the top of the green one, and the blue bucket was empty. 

“For water.” Genji explained. 

They took the green bucket and head to the entrance. A curious sparrow had wandered through the small crack left by the partially opened door. The fox cocked his head, observing the sparrow’s erratic movements. He carefully knelt down and scooped the small bird into his hands.

“Its injured.” He mumbled aloud. The tiger huffed. Who was this, Snow White? One of the orbs broke off the chain around the monk’s neck and glowed a golden color. The sparrow flapped its wings for a few moments before taking flight, suddenly healed. Zenyatta stood back up and watched the sparrow fly away with a smile. Definitely Snow White, Genji decided.

Zenyatta took the machete from the bucket and began clearing the overgrowth under the door and along the grooves in the track. Once they were out of the way, Genji easily pushed the door wide open. Wind blew into the cave with a loud whoosh, sending leaves and dirt far into the back of the temple. It was sunny, much to their surprise. Zenyatta took the pink and blue buckets and head outside, leaving Genji to deal with the roof. The tiger had given him directions to a nearby river for water.

It was a clean-ish source of drinking water. He filled the bucket with water, then stared into it as it all settled. There was definitely stuff swirling around in it. The monk grimaced. For now, it seemed like his only option. The water in the temple was far worse. Perhaps he could boil it? Zenyatta shook his head, clearing his hectic thoughts. 

Not far from the temple’s entrance, the soil had turned a bright red. Zenyatta dug for a while, finally revealing the clay deposit. The red sludge was scooped into the pink bucket and taken inside along with the blue one. He mixed the sludge in a small wooden bowl with a bit of water until it became a paste-like consistency. He used this to fill cracks and smooth out dents in the walls. Once all the holes had been plugged up, the monk headed back outside to clean his hands and the buckets. He paused in the middle of washing his hands and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Moments later he caught sight of his reflection and saw a big red streak in his eyebrow. He grunted in frustration, grabbing hold of his robes to wipe away the clay on his face. It smeared all around and he threw his hands up in the air. Might as well find a lake to bathe in now. Oh, how he missed hot water and indoor plumbing… Zenyatta realized how spoiled he was beginning to sound, shame making his face heat up. He missed his brother. He’d help Zenyatta with his confusing feelings.

The monk shook himself for the umpteenth time that day. Time to focus on the task at hand! The river lead to a clearing, surrounded by lush vegetation. This part of the forest had not seen the fighting during the Omnic Crisis. The afternoon sun made the water glitter. Zenyatta’s robes pooled around his ankles and he waded in to the sun-warmed water with a giddy chuckle. The thudding of Genji’s hammer – which had been white noise in the back of the monk’s mind – had stopped. He must be done with the roof. It wouldn’t hurt if he took a little bit longer to soak, would it? He rested his head against the grassy bank, robes tucked under like a pillow. It wasn’t luxurious by any means, but it felt so wonderful. His eyes fluttered closed and he listened to the ambient sounds of the rain forest. He must have fallen asleep, because he didn’t hear footsteps approaching, yet someone was clearly there. Zenyatta could feel it somehow. 

“So this is where you’ve run off to, little fox.” He startled, limbs flailing as he rushed to cover himself. His head shot up, smacking into something hard. He reeled, clutching his forehead. That was going to bruise. Genji had also groaned in pain. “I deserve that.” He mumbled. 

“The roof is done, and I solidified the holes you filled. I believe I can finally call that old temple a home again.” The monk awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“I’d like to get my robes on.” He responded in a deadpan tone. Genji looked down. He was standing right on top of them. “Er… Right. Sorry.” The tiger retreated, giving the monk privacy. He waited in the tall grass just outside of the clearing. Eventually the fox poked his head into the tall grass, red ears twitching. “All done.” He announced cheerfully, joining Genji’s side.  
The two looked around the improved temple. “I think it could do with a good cleaning.” The tiger laughed. “Tomorrow, perhaps. For now, let’s relax a bit.” Genji had brought the buckets in, The blue bucket was filled with fresh river water.

“Can we build a fire in here?” Zenyatta asked. The tiger motioned for him to follow. He lead the monk further back into the temple where the shadows gathered: that mysterious, unexplored space. A burst of flame, its flickering lights bounced off the walls. There was a bedroll here, the hearth of a fireplace, and a cooking pit. The torch flickered as Genji moved, tall flames belching out little embers into the air. He lit the cooking pit and met the fox’s gaze. 

“There are pots and pans along the wall,” He looked at Zenyatta curiously. “What are you going to make?”

“I’m going to boil the river water, so that it’s safe to drink.” The tiger deflated a little. “Oh.” He responded. “You were hoping I would make food.” The monk retorted. Genji’s bashful smile was all that was needed to confirm that statement. They simultaneously burst into laughter for the second time that day. They had only just met, and yet Genji – no, Baihu – felt as if he were talking with a very old friend. The monk was very much like Sanzang, he realized with a little pang in his heart.

The rest of their day was uneventful. Zenyatta had wanted to forage for edible mushrooms. He had promised a meal for the effort, but the old tiger continually refused, each time he stated that it was too risky. He shut the door afterwards, the only light in the temple came from Genji’s cooking pit. The monk had moved his bedroll closer, missing the way Genji had stopped staring into space to watch him resettle his few belongings. They shared a meal of melons and corn, before heading to bed. Zenyatta’s eyes finally closed as the last dying ember of the cooking pit had snuffed out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can donate to my ko-fi [here.](https://ko-fi.com/katyabaryzh)
> 
> Come scream at me on my main blog  
> katyabaryzh.tumblr.com  
> or my Zen blog  
> zennyboyrp.tumblr.com


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